september 2012 A Special Issue of PR News The coveted awards which set the industry benchmark for excellence across all areas of PR. prnewsonline.com/platinumpr2012 Here they are: the top campaigns and agencies in PR. Our Platinum issue features a record number HONORING THE of categories (more than 40) and a record number of entries. Make no mistake, these winners and honorable BEST OF THE BEST mentions are the cream of a bumper crop, and were feted at a stellar luncheon on Sept. 14 in New York. ■ ANNIVERSARY caMpaIGN BLOG Henson Consulting Apriso Corporation Henson Consulting Perfectly Plates Lettuce Entertain Building Thought Leadership for a You 40th Anniversary ‘Manufacturing Transformation’ As its 40th anniversary Looking to approached, the Chicago- build thought based restaurant group Lettuce leadership in an Entertain You Enterprises ever-changing (LEYE) wanted to recognize industry, its employees and diners who Apriso’s had supported them since the “Manufacturing Transformation” blog reports on big changes beginning. They teamed up and challenges currently in process within the manufacturing To help drive awareness surrounding its with longtime partner Henson industry, as it has become increasingly global. A big challenge 40th anniversary of operation, Lettuce Consulting to commemorate with the blog: Apriso competes against some industry behemoths, Entertain You Enterprises’ co-founder the anniversary and show including SAP, Rockwell, Siemens and GE. But, the manufacturing Richard Melman toured the company’s 80+ restaurants to meet with patrons and gratitude to the LEYE employees operations divisions tend to be small in these large companies, employees. and diners. Richard Melman, so when it comes down to resources and marketing focus, Apriso co-founder of LEYE, toured the can still stand out. Content was key, and Apriso solicited feedback company’s 80+ restaurants to meet with employees and patrons. To from analysts for help with relevant topics. A team of 20 employees generate media coverage, the team sent special mailers containing a contributed to the blog, which was promoted via social media— detailed anniversary plan along with a T-shirt and key chain to select significantly increasing traffic and viewership to apriso.com. In media. This coincided with a traditional and social media campaign addition, page views tripled in the first 10 months of the blog’s promoting an “R.J. Grunts Burger special,” offering the burgers at their debut and traffic has steadily grown since.—Jamar Hudson original 1971 price of $1.50. The media campaign generated more than 20 million impressions in key outlets, including the Chicago Sun- HONORABLE MENTIONS: Times and Chicago Tribune. —Regina D’Alesio Cone Communications – What Do You million visits and 1.9 million page views. Stand For? Feeling the ever-growing pressure Makovsky + Company – Pennies for Your HONORABLE MENTIONS: from consumers to address PR issues, Cone Thoughts: Driving Growth and Reputation integrated its blog with social media, leading to Through “My Three Cents”: Among the Axiom Marketing Communications with The Village Company – Mr. Bubble’s 50th Birthday 782 unique monthly visitors. first blogs to transcend PR, Kenneth Makovsky’s Bash: The Village Company and Axiom Marketing Communications held a “Bubble Bash” at the Mall of America Edelman – HP’s 367 Addison Avenue Blog: blog is featured on Forbes.com and Bloomberg in Minneapolis that featured an 11-foot tall, 16-foot-wide inflatable bathtub and a 2,800-square-foot bubble The Ultimate Online Resource for SMB Businessweek’s Business Exchange. party, complete with beach balls, towels, T-shirts and a Mr. Bubble birthday cake. Success: Edelman created a platform for SMB Peppercom – Steve Cody’s RepMan: Nothing Hill+Knowlton Strategies – Tenet Care Fund Birthday Celebration: Tenet and H+K created a two- owners to access content produced by HP and IT is off limits in this pointed and humorous blog. As a week campaign to generate donations for the fund, which benefits employees affected by hardship. Employees experts, improving customer engagement. result, a loyal readership has been established. contributed $124,000 and Tenet matched donations up to $50,000. ESPN – ESPNFrontRow.com, ESPN’s public Scholastic – On Our Minds @Scholastic: The Marcus Group – Forty for Goodness Sake: To celebrate its 40th anniversary, The Marcus Group invited facing corporate blog: To stay ahead of the The relaunched version of On Our Minds offered nonprofit organizations to apply for PR and marketing services free for one year. There was one winner, and the evolving blogosphere, ESPN created a corporate a functional and fun site that was appealing to Group also selected an additional six organizations to receive pro bono services on a project basis. blog that provided information to both fans and targeted teachers, students and parents. the media. Front Row has been a success, with 1.4 Continued on page 30 TaBLE OF CONTENTS the platinum pr awards issue Anniversary .................... 1 ance Company – MassMutual’s Doral Bank ing an Authentic Experience for Relations – Kids Kicking Cancer Speeches ...................... 26 Axiom Marketing Communications Tornado Relief Efforts (Winner) GolinHarris Chinese Travelers (Winner) PSA Campaign & Breath Break APP American Osteopathic Association Henson Consulting – Henson Minnesota Pork with Weber Shandwick Mom Central Consulting National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute Launch (Winner) Cars.com Perfectly Plates Lettuce Entertain Philips Electronics North America Corp. Edelman Frankfurt National Kidney Disease Education PR Newswire Association LLC & Feinstein The Mosaic Company You 40th Anniversary (Winner) U.S. Army with Weber Shandwick Porter Noveli Program Kean Healthcare Office Depot Foundation Hill+Knowlton Strategies Employee Relations ........ 8 RF|Binder and Band-Aid Brand – Porter Novelli RxMosaic Health Pacific Gas and Electric Company The Marcus Group American Airlines with Weber Shandwick Band-Aid Brand Rescues Fashion Time Warner Cable U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs USPS – Purple Heart with Ribbon Qorvis Communications, LLC Barcardi Limited Emergencies (Winner) Online Communications .. 19 Product Launch............. 23 Forever Stamp Dedication (Winner) S.F. Symphony Centennial Celebration Brigham and Women’s Hospital Rogers & Cowan Piedmont Healthcare American Girl, LLC with Weber Twitter Campaign ......... 26 Latham &Watkins LLP SHIFT Communications Cohn &Wolfe with Valvoline – Shandwick Blog ............................... 1 WALK PR American Airlines with Weber Apriso Corp. – Building Thought MWW – Flight Plan for the Future: Guaranteeing a New Era in Polling: Coburn Communication Shandwick – #AAGalaxy: American Leadership for a “Manufacturing JetBlue Preserves Its Direct Rela- Internal Publication ...... 11 Valvoline &SportingNews.com Cohn & Wolfe with Valvoline Airlines Socializes New In-Flight Transformation” (Winner) tionship With Pilots (Winner) Bally Technologies Team to Empower Fans (Winner) Cone Communications – My Entertainment Offering with Twit- Cone Communications NextEra Energy Disney Interactive County of L.A., Chief Executive Office Underwear is Cooler Than Yours: ter Hashtag Promotion (Co-Winner) Edelman Philips Electronics North America Corp. Kaiser Permanente – The Source: IEEE with Weber Shandwick Jockey Launches Staycool Arketi Group ESPN Syngenta The Newsletter for Procurement Indianapolis Airport Authority Collection (Winner) Association of American Railroads Makovsky + Company Dell and WPP Team Dell and Supply (Winner) InkHouse Media+Marketing Impress Labs – Freight Rail Twitter (Co-Winner) Peppercom Event Marketing ............. 8 Maryland Dept. of Business and Marina Maher Communications Hellerman Baretz Communications Disney Consumer Products Scholastic Inc. AICPA Economic Development Porter Novelli Hill+Knowlton Strategies Hill+Knowlton Strat. and salesforce.com Avocados from Mexico and CRT/tanaka The Mosaic Company rbb Public Relations with AlphaStaff Sprint and Stanton Communications McDonald’s USA and GolinHarris Annual Report ................ 4 MWW The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino AICPA Grow Marketing Online Press Room/ RF|Binder and Scharffen Berger Humana Pratt Institute Public Affairs ................ 23 Chocolate Maker American Red Cross Southwest Airlines Media Center ................ 20 Baylor Health Care System Ketchum AICPA Arizona State University San Diego Gas & Electric Charles Schwab Corp. RF|Binder and Malaysia External Media Event ................. 11 Bally Technologies Entertainment Software Association with Waggener Edstrom Worldwide Dresser-Rand with Eric Trade Development Corp. (MA- Chandler Chicco Agency on behalf of Cisco Systems Weber Shandwick & tenfour Mower+Associates TRADE) – Malaysia Kitchen for the Sanofi US Diamond Public Relations FTI Consulting WCG Entergy Corp. – Entergy Corpora- World 2011 (Winner) GolinHarris for Nintendo of America NASCAR Integrated Marketing Comms Hill+Knowlton Strategies Trade Show/Event PR .... 27 tion’s Low-Income Customer MWW MSLGROUP Americas Rotary International Media Illinois Tollway Bell Helicopter Progress Report (Co-Winner) PepsiCo with Weber Shandwick National Heart, Lung and Blood Center Powered by Synaptic Digital Nyhus Communications – Washing- Disney Consumer Products Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy Qorvis Communications, LLC Institute – The Heart Truth Red (Winner) ton United For Marriage Launch GolinHarris for Nintendo of America NYU Langone Medical Center – 365 External